My Little One ventured off to the Vancouver Aquarium AquaCamp this past week to check it out and to weigh in on it. So if you want to know the scoop about the AquaCamps, keep on reading.
First of all, my Little One is 7 years old. She is very energetic, loves going to camps, and makes friends very easily. I am never nervous about sending her off to a camp where she will not know anyone as she always comes home the first day talking about her new friends. She loves making new friends and I love her out there being social. My Little One is also not shy with the instructors so it makes for a perfect scenario for her.
The AquaCamp that my Little One attended was a three day camp. The AquaCamps are anywhere from the 3 days up to a 5 day camp. It just happened that the week that we could attend was the shorter week due to the Canada Day holiday.
The camp is a full day camp from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. You can get extended care for a fee. I have to admit that I normally do not send my Little One for full day camps. I like her attending half day camps so we still have a part of the day to do stuff together. My Little One absolutely loved being at the Vancouver Aquarium full day AquaCamp though. Not once in the three days did she ever say that the day was too long.
I will let you know that my Little One came home every single day after camp absolutely exhausted form all the fun, playing, and learning that she had been doing all day long.
I was absolutely impressed with the knowledge that my Little One came home with and able to share each day. She was telling us how many stomachs Moon Jelly fish have, about why herring look like the sunlight from their bottom and so much more. Honestly, I learned a lot from my Little One going to the AquaCamp! 🙂
During the camp my Little One got to participate in so much. The Leaders took them around in age divided groups of about 10 to the various things in the Aquarium such as the shows, the 4D show, the Wet Labs, and classroom learning where they dissected various things such as a herring.
The kids got to touch things that they normally would not get to and for some, that they normally would not want to. LOL! It was an amazing hands on learning experience.
I asked my Little One what her favorite part of camp was and she answered “All of it.” I also asked her why she likes to go to camps and she replied “Because I make new friends, have fun, and get to learn more. It is exciting.”
My Little One has play date cards that she can give friends. The cards have our information on them so the other parent can contact us for a play date. My Little One reported having handed out a couple of play date cards to some new friends at the camp. I think that experiences and friendships that kids make at camps are awesome experiences.
Here are a few tips for you if you are thinking about the Vancouver Aquarium AquaCamp for your Little One:
*Consider becoming a member of the Aquarium because you save on the cost of the camp.
*Wear comfortable clothes.
*A t shirt is provided to your camper so they are easily identified by their leaders. I love this.
*Pack healthy lunches to give them energy to get through the day because they will be exhausted.
*Wear footwear that they can run and play in.
*Bring waterproof boots and jacket in case they are at the beach in the rain. Luckily we were not.
*Remember sunscreen for their outside time.
*Send them with a reusable water bottle so they have fresh water all day long.
*On the first day, you will receive a parking pass for drop off and pick up. Love this as parking gets expensive at Stanley Park otherwise.
*Do not send money with your kids or any valuables. They will not need it and you can attend the gift shop with them after camp any given day.
I am a huge supporter of the Vancouver Aquarium. I love it when I have nothing but amazingly, positive things to say about the Aquarium. I do have one thing that I will mentioned that I was not too content about and my Little One was not happy about.
The schedule we received said that the campers were to bring an animal costume for the last day. So my Little One and myself went through a lot of planning the night before the last day to pick out the animal costume she was going to bring. It was quite the decision making process and took quite some time as well as created a lot of excitement. Unfortunately, they never did anything with animal costumes like the schedule said they would so my Little One was all hyped up and of course, in turn, let down.
In the scheme of things, the costume thing is a small complaint and certainly would not prevent us from attending the AquaCamp again or recommending it to everyone. I just would recommend that the Leaders cross off anything that is not relevant on the schedule.
If I have left any of your AquaCamp questions unanswered, you can visit the FAQ page on the Vancouver Aquarium website. You can also visit the Vancouver Aquarium on Facebook and Twitter.
Happy camping at the Vancouver Aquarium AquaCamp. It is an experience of a lifetime that both MomMomOnTheGo and her Little One recommends.
Disclosure: MomMomOnTheGo was provided product for the purpose of conducting this review. As always, MomMomOnTheGo only supports companies, products, and services that she loves. All opinions are those of MomMomOnTheGo.